Following the launch of the Conservative manifesto, which pledged to end the universal benefit south of the border, the Scottish Conservatives have said a Conservative government would not change the rules in Scotland, where the benefit is partly devolved to the Scottish Parliament.

A spokesperson told The Times: “We will keep winter fuel payments as they are in Scotland. We are not going to change them or introduce means-testing.”

The Resolution Foundation, a charity based in London, has suggested the cut-backs in England will limit the payments to the very poorest two million pensioners who are entitled to pensions credit, saving “in the region of £1.7 billion by taking the benefit away from 10 million pensioners”.

The savings will help fund Conservative plans to boost social care spending by £2.8 billion.

The Barnett consequentials from that extra spending will provide the Scottish Government with enough money to maintain Winter Fuel Payments as a universal benefit.